Alfalfa: The Father of All Food

Alfalfa has been called a Mineral Bouquet, Father of All Food, King of the Plant World, Nature’s Healing Miracle, and Poor Man’s Medicine by herbologists, biologists, chiropractors and biochemists. Alfalfa has been cultivated for 2,000 years and provides:

  • Essential digestive enzymes:  Enzymes are promoters of chemical reactions necessary to enable foods to be assimilated in the body. The digestive enzymes in alfalfa help in the digestion of protein, fat, and starch (lipase, amylase, protase, coagilase, emulsion, invertase, peroxidase, pectinaze, and cellulase)
  • Nature’s anti-inflammatory:  The saponins, chlorophyll, enzymes and smorgasbord of minerals and vitamins present in alfalfa can help reduce inflammation anywhere in the body.  Used therapeutically (1 tablespoon per meal of the alfalfa tablets), many have reported wonderful reduction in inflammation. Researches show that inflammation can lead to host of (fatal) diseases.
  • Pain relief:  Many suffering with rheumatoid arthritis, gout and other inflammatory diseases have experienced relief because alfalfa aids in regulation of the acid/alkaline balance in the body.  It helps dissolve uric acid so it passes through the kidneys. Excessive uric acid in joints causes inflammation and pain.  It contains an “anti-stiffness factor” which relieves stiff joints.
  • Kidney & bladder benefits:  Alfalfa increases one’s alkaline reserves.  It is especially beneficial to the kidney & bladder because it makes the urine less acidic, therefore less irritating to the urinary tract.  The average vegetable is from 1 to 10 units alkaline…alfalfa is 130 units alkaline.  It increases the kidneys’ filtration rate.
  • Aids in peptic ulcers:  Vitamin U effectively cured 80% of those tested at Stanford University (as stated in Nature’s Healing Grasses by H.E. Kirschner, MD)
  • Great diuretic and bowel regulator:  The high mineral content helps maintain the delicate water balance in the body.  Two teaspoons (10 tablets) contain 75 mg. of potassium, an essential electrolyte in preventing water retention.  Alfalfa is also high in saponins – fiber.
  • An effective barrier against bacterial invasion:  The chlorophyll in alfalfa develops an effective barrier against bacterial invasion by its stimulation effect on the growth of connective tissue and granulation tissue.  PLUS it balances the acid/alkalinity of the body. An acidic body is susceptible to a host of degenerative diseases including cancer.
  • Blood purifier/toxin relief:  Chlorophyll, plentiful in alfalfa, is known as a body cleanser, infection fighter, and nature’s deodorizer.  Many report reduced odors from the body, breath and feet.
  • Improve skin & mucosal health (including blemishes):  Alfalfa contains vitamin A, important in building healthy skin, both inner and outer.  Due to its blood purifying ability, it has a mild antibiotic effect toward pathogenic bacteria, and has helped reduce skin blemishes. Mucous membranes such as the linings of the throat, nose, stomach, and intestines, are also improved.
  • Vitamin K in alfalfa allows a protein called osteocalcin to bind to calcium in bone which helps maintain bone density,”explains Sarah L. Booth, PhD., a scientist at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
  • In a 10-year study of 72,000 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study, researchers found that those who consumed the most foods containing vitamin K had a 30 percent lower risk of hip fractures than those whose diets contained the least Vitamin K.
  • Reduced hypertension:  (High blood pressure)…is often caused by many factors.  Alfalfa provides magnesium and potassium which relaxes arterial muscles, and can therefore provide an important benefit to those who suffer with hypertension.
  • Other properties of Alfalfa:  Alfalfa is high in protein: it has 18.9% as compared to beef of 16.5%, milk 3.3% and eggs 13.1%.  Its root seeks out minerals in subsoil which are inaccessible to other plants.  The average alfalfa plant has roots 10-20 feet long.

What Type of Alfalfa Should You Use?

We often get comments that the alfalfa they bought at the store did not work the same as the one we recommended. The reason is that the fresh leaf only should be used, not the hay or stems. Zero pesticides and herbicides should be used. Alfalfa seeds can be toxic, and we don’t recommend alfalfa sprouts.

Alfalfa Complex

Cheri has used this one for 38 years for various disorders with great success. We carry it at the Swanson Health Center office.

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